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May, the "progressive choice"

Yes, I think any progressive person would agree, Leadsom is worse than May. But this is like saying drowning in 7 metres of pig shit is preferable to drowning in 8 meters.

What I have objections to though is the uncritical suggestion that May is better because of her support for same-sex marriage.

First of all, "support"?? When did she support same-sex marriage. Yes, it came from the Equalities government department which was in the Home Office at the time. Yes she voted for it. But did she support it?

I don't believe that May has changed a career-long pattern of opposing gay rights in favour of supporting us. At best, she's balanced the need to accept cabinet responsibility and power against desire to oppose gay-rights. And power won - that's not much of a consolation.

If Theresa May supported gay rights, we'd be able to see it. We wouldn't need a straight ally and ex-colleague to tell us.

When the Tories introduced same-sex marriage I was cautiously happy. Aside from the problems with the implementation, I was worried, that the Tories would use it to pinkwash the party and hide the appalling attacks on social security and other issues of liberation and equality.

I didn't expect it to be used to pinkwash Theresa May in the same way.
But even if she had supported same-sex marriage with full voice and heart? What if she had been leading the charge on a whole host of pro-LGBT issues?

She'd still be a shitty example of a human being.

She'd still have sent the racist "Go Home" vans. She'd still have been in a government gleefully cutting welfare benefits and support nets. She'd still be deporting hundreds of people (OK, in this dream scenario, she would presumably be believing LGBT refugees and not questioning their identity and expecting bi folks to just turn off the gay bit). She'd still be opposing abortion. She'd still be trying to get out of the Human Rights act and the European Court of Human Rights.

When the Tories introduced same-sex marriage I was cautiously happy. However, aside from the problems with the implementation, I was worried that the Tories would use it to pinkwash the party and hide the appalling attacks on social security and other issues of liberation and equality.

I didn't expect it to be used to pinkwash Theresa May in the same way in a leadership election.

I know Twitter isn't good at subtle and nuance, but can we please not pretend that May's supposed "support" for same-sex marriage is, in any way, a good reason to vote for her over Leadsom. Every time we do we lend a veneer of acceptability to her and her politics.

Yes, she's better than Leadsom. But that's because Leadsom is run-away-faster-screaming awful and inexperienced and a fucking idiot and and a die-hard Christian who will drive further divisions into this country, not because of any inherent qualities that Theresa May has.